Things read - Week 49

For the past couple of weeks, I've been reading "The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction." The title seems timely and relevant and the book more so. It addresses some fears that I had, some techniques that I could learn and some insights that could keep in mind the next time I pickup a book.

Book is not a device for uploading data to your brain

I have been perpetually interested in training my 'llm' by uploading as much data as possible by reading books. Because ultimately the llms are only as good as their sources. But according the the book, it's not. If we treat the book like a download, it's always going to feel too slow. Tedious. Basically inefficient.

Instead, a radical idea he proposed (or quotes someone) is to read on a 'whim.' Read because you love it and probably gives you pleasure. It could be anything. Nobody has to always train their mind. Treat books as en entertainment tool. Once you do that, it becomes a bit more engaged because digital forms of entertainment (instagram, netflix) destroys our focus. But reading on the other hand trains us to "choose" what we think about.

Phone vs a book is a struggle between 'intermittent reinforcement' and 'continuous reinforcement.' When you pickup a phone, you don't know what you might be able to see. Could be a funny meme or a rage bait tweet. But when you pickup a book, you know what you will be getting out of it. Sadly, biologically we are wired to prioritize the uncertainty of the screen over the predictability of the book.

It is not a surprise that we find it so difficult to pick up a book because we are fighting millions of years of revolutionary biology that prioritizes 'new data.' Our brain has already been re-wired and its physical structure has been changed by feeding it the uncertainty and new data. So why fight the change? Why not let it be on default. This is where David Foster Wallace comes in.

If we don't exercise control over our minds, we fall into a 'default setting'. A state where we are self-centered, easily annoyed and passively reacting to everyone around us. Reading helps us how to think. And learning how to think is not about raw intelligence or logic. It's about inculcating the habit of choosing what you pay attention to.